Glass setting assembly



J. E. ADAMS GLASS SETTING ASSEMBLY Filed Feb. 21, 1962 I50 l5b l6 l5 Nov. 24, 1964 INVENTOR. JAMES E. ADAMS I BY V? w/QL ATTORNEY United States Patent 3,157,918 GLASS SETTING ASSEMBLY James E. Adams, Curtice, Ohio, assignor to The Bishop and Babcock Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Filed Feb. 21, 1962, Ser. No. 174,845 3 Claims. (Cl. 20-564) This invention relates to a snap-in glass setting assembly of the type employing a pair of stop members which engage opposite sides of the glass panel and are retained in position by spring clips.

An object is to produce an assembly of this character in which the spring clip not only connects together the opposed stop members but also connects them to a structural or frame member Without the use of screws or other separate fasteners.

Another object is to provide a spring clip of the above character which also affords a seat for the glass panel.

A still further object is to produce a new and improved glass setting assembly which is economical to manufacture and install, easier to connect together, and has the unique features hereinafter described.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will hereinafter appear and for purposes of illustration but not of limitation, an embodiment of the invention is shown on the accompanying drawings in which FIGURE 1 is a vertical sectional elevational view, partially broken away, of a glass setting in accordance with the invention;

FIGURE 2 is a fragmentary sectional elevational view of the glass setting showing particularly the manner in which the spring clip is attached to the support beam or architectural member;

FIGURE 3 is a top plan view on an enlarged scale of the spring clip for connecting together the parts;

FIGURE 4 is an end edge view of the spring clip; and

FIGURE 5 is a transverse sectional view on the line 5-5 of FIGURE 3.

The illustrated embodiment of the invention comprises a glass setting device indicated generally by the reference numeral 10. The device includes a pair of stop members 11 and 12 between which is disposed a vertically disposed glass sheet or panel 13. The stop members rest upon a structural beam or architectural member 14. The stop members 11 and 12 and the support beam 14 may be of extruded aluminum shapes.

As shown the support beam 14 is formed on its upper side with a longitudinally elongate slot 15 which may eX- tend from end to end of the beam. The slot 15 is defined by the side edges 15a and 15b of the support beam 14. Supporting and reinforcing the portions of the upper sides separated by the slot 15 is a subjacent integral bridge member 16 which as shown is rectangular in shape. The stop members 11 and 12 are connected together and secured to the support beam 14 by a plurality of spring metal clips or fasteners S, as will hereinafter more fully appear.

Each of the stop members is of generally rectangular construction and has a lower flange formed with a beveled surface 17 which inclines upwardly and outwardly from the inner edge thereof and terminates in a longitudinally elongate seating groove 18 adjacent the outer vertical web 18a. At the upper portion of each of the stop members is a reentrant channel 19 in which is disposed a glaze strip 19a of suitable elastomeric sealing ma terial to engage the adjacent surface of the glass sheet or panel 13 to effect an efilcient sealing connecting therewith.

The spring metal fastener or clip S not only retains the stop members 11 and 12 in the desired position in engagement with the opposite sides of the glass panel 3,157,918 Patented Nov. 24, 1964 13, but also secures these stop members to the support beam 14. A series of clips S may be attached along the length of the support beam 14 in order to insure a satisfactory connection between these parts. Each of the clips S is formed of one piece of spring sheet metal and'comprises a body generally U-shaped in cross section, providing a fiat central panel portion 20 of relatively narrow dimension serving as a platform against which the lower edge of the glass panel 13 may seat. From opposite sides of the narrow central portion 20 and inclining upwardly and outwardly in opposite directions are arms having side panels 21 which terminate in panels 22 gently inclining downwardly and outwardly from the upper ends of the panels 21. At the outer end of each of the panels 22 are downwardly extending V-shaped lips 23.

Struck from the central portion of the clip S is a pair of oppositely extending hooks 24 and 25, the free edge portions 26 of which are inclined as shown on FIGURE 3. The lower flanges of the hooks 24 and 25 are op positely inclined, i.e., one end of one flange is lower than the other and the reverse condition obtains for the other flange. This enables the hooks to be inserted lengthwise of the slot 15 and then the clip is turned to dispose the hooks in embracing relation to the opposite edges of the slot. In so doing a cam-like action takes place causing the spring clip intimately to engage the edges of the beam slot 15.

Adjacent opposite ends of the clip and arranged generally in the central portion thereof is a pair of struckout downwardly inclined spring tongues 27 and, as shown on FIGURE 3, these are slightly staggered in arrangement.

It will be observed that each of the panels 22 is somewhat shorter than the adjacent panel 21. This enables the formation at each of the corners triangular darts or prongs 28 which incline downwardly and have relatively sharp points.

In practice a predetermined number of spring metal clips S are first applied to the support beam 14 at spaced intervals by a turning operation above described. To position the hooks in this fashion it is necessary to depress the spring tongues 27, placing them and the hooks under tension. Thereafter the glass panel 13 is seated upon the central portion 20 of the fastener. The stop members 11 and 12 are then applied from opposite sides, the beveled portion 17 lifting the arms of the clip until the V-shaped lips 23 snap into the seating grooves 18. At this time the prongs or darts 28 impinge themselves against the beveled surfaces of the stop members and impose pressure on the intermediate portion of these surfaces. In this manner the glass setting is achieved and the glaze strips 1911 are brought into sealing engagement with the opposite sides of the glass panel 13.

The above assembly is featured by the simplicity and ease of installing the spring clip 10 on the support beam or architectural member 14. It is merely necessary to insert the hooks 24 and 25 lengthwise in the elongate slot 15 and then turn the clip to a position at right angles. Due to the construction of the hooks a cam action takes place, drawing the body of the clip against the beam 14 and placing the spring tongues 27 under tension, thereby insuring that the clip will remain firmly in position and the hooks will properly grip the side edges of the slot 15. When the spring clips are mounted in this fashion, the glass panel may be seated on the platform panel 20 and the stop members 11 and 12 may be pushed in from up posite sides. It should also be pointed out that the prongs 28 impinge against intermediate portions of the beveled surfaces 17 and insure the retention of the stop members in the desired position.

Numerous changes in details of construction, arrangement, and operation may be efiected without departing 9 from the spirit of the invention especially as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A glass setting assembly for supporting a glass panel on edge comprising a pair of stop members arranged on opposite sides of the glass panel, a support beam on which said stop members rest and having a longitudinal slot in the upper Wall thereof, each stop member including a web portion and an upper flange for contact with a side of the glass panel and a lower flange bearing against said beam with its inner edge terminating short of said slot, said lower flange having an upper surface including a groove extending substantially parallel to the associated web portion, a spring clip having a. central portion against which the lower edge of the glass panel rests and also having two arms extending oppositely from said central portion and integral therewith, oppositely extending hooks depending from said central portion engaging the side edges of the slot in the supporting beam for attaching the clip thereto, each arm extending upwardly from said central portion and terminating in a downwardly extending lip in seating engagement with said groove, and each arm including an intermediate downturned prong impinging on the adjacent upper surface of the respective lower flange.

2. A glass setting assembly as claimed in claim 1 in which the hooks are struck from the body of the clip, and the hooks are so shaped as to be mounted by a turning movement in the slot of the supporting beam.

3. A glass setting assembly as claimed in claim 2 in which inclined tongues depend from the clip for engagement with the supporting beam for imparting tension to the hooks.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,219,208 Zanner et a1 Mar. 13, 1917 2,616,142 Tinnerman Nov. 4, 1952 2,971,229 May Feb. 14, 1961 2,983,969 Muessel May 16, 1961 FOREIGN PATENTS 550,994 Belgium Sept. 29, 1956 

1. A GLASS SETTING ASSEMBLY FOR SUPPORTING A GLASS PANEL ON EDGE COMPRISING A PAIR OF STOP MEMBERS ARRANGED ON OPPOSITE SIDES OF THE GLASS PANEL, A SUPPORT BEAM ON WHICH SAID STOP MEMBERS REST AND HAVING A LONGITUDINAL SLOT IN THE UPPER WALL THEREOF, EACH STOP MEMBER INCLUDING A WEB PORTION AND AN UPPER FLANGE FOR CONTACT WITH A SIDE OF THE GLASS PANEL AND A LOWER FLANGE BEARING AGAINST SAID BEAM WITH ITS INNER EDGE TERMINATING SHORT OF SAID SLOT, SAID LOWER FLANGE HAVING AN UPPER SURFACE INCLUDING A GROOVE EXTENDING SUBSTANTIALLY PARALLEL TO THE ASSOCIATED WEB PORTION, A SPRING CLIP HAVING A CENTRAL PORTION AGAINST WHICH THE LOWER EDGE OF THE GLASS PANEL RESTS AND ALSO HAVING TWO ARMS EXTENDING OPPOSITELY FROM SAID CENTRAL PORTION AND INTEGRAL THEREWITH, OPPOSITELY EXTENDING HOOKS DEPENDING FROM SAID CENTRAL PORTION ENGAGING THE SIDE EDGES OF THE SLOT IN THE SUPPORTING BEAM FOR ATTACHING THE CLIP THERETO, EACH ARM EXTENDING UPWARDLY FROM SAID CENTRAL PORTION AND TERMINATING IN A DOWNWARDLY EXTENDING LIP IN SEATING ENGAGEMENT WITH SAID GROOVE, AND EACH ARM INCLUDING AN INTERMEDIATE DOWNTURNED PRONG IMPINGING ON THE ADJACENT UPPER SURFACE OF THE RESPECTIVE LOWER FLANGE. 